News from the Library of Congress

June 6, 1996

John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book and a
30-year Library of Congress veteran, has received the 1996
President's Award of the District of Columbia Library Association
(DCLA) for his "outstanding contributions to the library
community." The award recognizes Dr. Cole's leadership of the
Center for the Book and its advocacy program on books, reading,
and libraries; his many contributions to the Library of Congress
as an institution; and his work in helping DCLA mark its
centennial in 1994--particularly his book, Capital Libraries and
Librarians: A Brief History of the District of Columbia
Library Association (1994).

The DCLA President's Award, officially titled the Ainsworth
Rand Spofford Award, was established in 1990. It is named for
the man who served as Librarian of Congress from 1864-97 and as
DCLA's first president in 1894-95. The first recipient was
Elizabeth W. Stone, Dean of Catholic University's School of
Library and Information Science. Hardy R. Franklin, director of
the District of Columbia Public Library, received the honor in
1995. John Cole is the first recipient from the Library of
Congress.

Dr. Cole came to the Library of Congress in 1966 and worked
in the Congressional Research Service and the Reference
Department before becoming chair, in 1976, of a Library-wide
Task Force on Goals, Organization, and Planning established by
Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin. In 1977, when the Task
Force's work ended, Dr. Boorstin named Dr. Cole the first
director of the newly established Center for the Book.

In 1992, Dr. Cole received a special achievement award from
the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science for
his "strong and spirited leadership" of the Center for the Book.
In its award citation, the commission noted that the center "has
set a standard of excellence for the nation's educational and
cultural life that is an inspiration to all."

Dr. Cole is a graduate of the University of Washington,
Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University, where
in 1971 he received a Ph.D. in American civilization. He is the
author of five books, including three historical works about the
Library of Congress, and of many articles about the Library of
Congress and the role of books, reading, and libraries in
society. Since 1978, he has edited 14 publications for the
Center for the Book. In addition to his duties as the center's
director, from March 1990 until February 1992, he served as the
Library's acting associate librarian for cultural affairs and,
from September 1993 until May 1995, as its acting director of
publishing.